One of the most important plans you can make for your kids as they head back to school is to get them on a sound sleep schedule. After all, better grades may depend on better sleep.

As your children head back to school, you may face a dilemma
when it comes to kids and sleep. All summer long, your kids have
probably been staying up a little later at night - and sleeping in a
little longer in the morning. So when back-to-school time rolls around,
they may find themselves sleep-deprived.

"In an
ideal world, all children would be on a sleep schedule throughout the
week, month, and year - to bed at the same time, rise at the same time,
all year round," says Kristen Hedger Archbold, RN, PhD, an assistant
professor of nursing at the University of Arizona who works closely with
children. "But for the school-aged
child, staying up late in summer months is common. After all,
there is much more to do outside and much more daylight during which to
do it!"

The only problem with this is that kids
need a lot of sleep - a lot more than mom and dad. In fact, for children
ages 6 to 11, 10 to 11 hours a night are recommended. And children ages
12 to 18 need at least nine hours.

Kids and Sleep: The Problems of Deprivation

When
a child's schedule switches back to school, quite a few kids don't get
the sleep they need. "Children are not getting enough sleep these days,"
says John Turner, MD, a sleep disorder specialist at Park Plaza
Hospital in Houston. "This has been worse since technology [and media
consumption] has become so pervasive." And the problem has
led to some very real concerns for children who are sleep-deprived.

Lack of sleep
can impact their ability to learn in the classroom, says Dr. Turner. In
fact, it might very well be true that better sleep leads to better
grades. "Children often try to compensate for sleep deprivation by
becoming more active and fidgety in an attempt to remain alert," says
Turner. "This often results in sleep-deprived children being disruptive
in the classroom and not performing to their academic potential."

Sure-Fire Strategies for Sound Sleep

There
are several strategies you can use when it comes to kids and sleep to
get them back on track for back to school.
Here's how to get your kids on a sleep
schedule:

Start
early. Since summer break often gets kids out of their
sleep routine, Archbold recommends starting the back-to-school schedule
early to get them back into it. "About three weeks prior to the start of
school, children should be re-oriented to the 'school-day' schedule,"
she says.

Set the time.If
your household's standard rising time is 6 to 6:30 a.m., that means the
bedtime for most school-age and teenage children will be 8 p.m. Do your
best to stick to this.

Turn
off electronics. To help your kids wind down, all
electronics - TV, video games, computers, and cell phones - should be
shut off an hour earlier. "In addition, all electronic distractions
should be removed from the child's room and from his or her access at
night," says Turner. "This cannot be emphasized enough, as very
commonly, children will stay awake well beyond what parents
realize."

Reserve
their bed for sleeping. While reading is great, Kyle P.
Johnson, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the
Oregon Health and Science University Doernbecher Children's Hospital,
suggests having kids read in a separate chair or bean bag, so that the
bed is used only for sleeping.

Nix
any caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that can keep kids
up at night. "It is best that children don't consume caffeine," says
Turner. "If they do, however, it should not occur after
lunchtime."

Set the
mood. Another way to promote good sleep is to think about
the room itself. "Nightlights are okay, but otherwise, you should keep
the room dark, cool, and quiet," says Aneesa M. Das, MD, a sleep expert
at the Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus.

Set
the rules. Kids will try to push the envelope, so Dr.
Das says it's best to stick to your guns about the sleep schedule. "Be
sure to set clear limits," she says. "For example, make clear the number
of stories to be read, the time for lights out, and acceptable reasons
to call for parents. Let them know what the rules are, and stick with
them."

Practice what
you preach. Of course, one of the best ways to get your
kids to adopt good sleep habits
is to follow them yourself. "The best way to get kids to stick with the
program is for parents to do it, too," says Archbold. "Call it the
'back-to-school sleep plan,' and everyone participates."

Set
next summer's hours. When summer rolls around, do your
best to stay close to the scheduled school sleep time to make the
transition easier on yourself and your family. "The brain does not know
it is on summer vacation," says Archbold.

These
strategies will work to get your child prepared for school and also
help you as the school year rolls around.

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